National Guard unit ends Vermont service; vacates Waterbury armory
December 10, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti The Vermont National Guard armory in Waterbury sits on 2.5 acres beside Interstate 89 and just west of Stowe Street. Brookside Primary School is visible in the top right. Photo by Gordon Miller
Last Saturday afternoon as preparations were getting under way at the primary school in Waterbury ahead of the annual River of Light lantern parade, a smaller, more formal gathering was unfolding nearby.
The Waterbury National Guard armory was busy with several dozen soldiers in fatigues assembling inside along with their commanders including the state’s top guard official, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, Vermont Adjutant General.
All had traveled to Waterbury that afternoon for a solemn ceremony that would add one more line to the storied history of Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain).
The field artillery unit has trained at the Vergennes and Waterbury armories but has now been reassigned to Massachusetts as part of larger nationwide National Guard troop realignments.
The event was held to commemorate the unit’s long history in Vermont dating back to the 19th century and to take the steps traditionally done to mark such a transition.
The so-called “B Battery” is moving to Massachusetts where the rest of the 101st Field Artillery Regiment is based. A highlight of the ceremony held in Waterbury was the “casing of the guidon” which honors the unit by making its unique marker flag -- called a guidon -- a centerpiece where it is furled and placed in a protective sheath in preparation for its journey. Parts of Saturday’s ceremony were dedicated to reading the battery’s history from the Civil War era through the 20th century to modern deployments across the Middle East. The Vermont unit just this summer returned from a deployment to Iraq.
The ritual also included the entire assembly singing the “The Army Song” to recorded music.
The 101st Field Artillery Regiment will remain part of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) which is headquartered in Vermont. It’s composed of seven battalions with units in six states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Colorado.
National Guard Public Affairs Officer Maj. J. Scott Detweiler explained that the occasion was particularly poignant “because it means that for right now, there won’t be any artillery housed in Vermont.” The combined battalion based in Massachusetts will continue to train at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho frequently, Detweiler noted.
The ceremony marked a final time for the members of the battery to gather together. About 20% of the Vermont soldiers in the unit plan to transfer to the Massachusetts National Guard, Detweiler said, to continue training with the battery there; others will be reassigned to positions in units operating in Vermont.
Maj. Gen. Knight in his remarks to the assembled soldiers acknowledged the milestone and thanked the soldiers and their families for their dedication. “Yours is a life of service wherever you are called to go,” he commented.
What’s next for the armory?
The unit’s departure will now leave the Waterbury armory quiet. Vermont National Guard officials say they do not have plans to repurpose the facility. The armory sits on 2.5 acres at the end of its namesake Armory Drive in Waterbury village. The road leads through a small residential neighborhood with the building tucked between Interstate 89, the Thatcher Brook and Stowe Street. It’s most visible from the highway rather than any village street.
Detweiler said records show that the armory was put into service on July 8, 1957.
Town property records put its assessed value at $210,500 but as it is owned by the state of Vermont, the building and land are not subject to property taxes. State properties in Waterbury including the state office complex, forests, and parklands are subject to annual payments in lieu of taxes.
The property could be put to some other use by the state, however a check with the Department of Buildings and General Services which oversees state buildings did not turn up much interest. “If we had a pressing need for it, we’d be vying for it, but we don’t see that right now,” said Erik Filkorn in the BGS commissioner’s office.
State Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, chairs the House Committee on General, Housing, and Military Affairs. He noted that there is a process the state follows to handle property transactions involving armories.
A Board of Armory Commissioners consisting of the governor and top guard officials determines whether armory properties are to be sold, for example, Stevens said. Legislative committees that oversee state facilities would also likely be involved. Whatever the property’s next use may be is likely not to be decided quickly. “It would be years and years away,” Stevens said. “The process is pretty laborious.”
The state in 2020 gifted a former armory in Enosburg to be repurposed for town offices. A roughly decade-long process has played out in Bennington where the state and the town forged a property swap with the state getting town-owned land to build a new armory and the town now studying the existing armory for redevelopment.
In Waterbury, the armory and its future have not been much of a topic of discussion among public officials yet. Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk this week said he learned several months ago that the National Guard would be ending its use of the building.
“Initially I was told the state would likely be selling the building,” Shepeluk said, adding that he’s had some “internal discussions” about potential uses for it, but nothing serious.
Hearing that the state isn’t expressing interest might be reason to discuss it with the select board but unknowns could make it undesirable, he said. “While I agree there are some potential uses for the building that are interesting, I must also caution that the existing structure is likely well beyond its useful life,” Shepeluk said. “It is likely not well-insulated; its mechanical systems are probably old and environmental hazards are unknown. Building materials in such buildings often contain materials such as asbestos, especially in flooring, ceilings and piping. I’d say it is not a ‘slam dunk’ that the town would want it,” Shepeluk said.
Filkorn agreed that it's unclear what the property might lend itself to in the future. Each such facility needs careful examination to determine if they are in a condition worth repurposing.
“Some are white elephants. Some are diamonds in the rough,” he said.
Scenes from the ceremony
Photos by Staff Sgt. Barbara Pendl | click to enlarge and see captions
Scenes from the Casing of the Colors ceremony held on Dec. 3 at the Waterbury armory. This traditional ceremony commemorates unit history prior to a transfer of duty stations. The highlight involves furling the guidon — a small flag that a militay unit uses as a marker —and placing it inside a protective sheath. Following the unit’s transfer to Massachusetts, Bravo Battery’s lineage and honors transfer to the 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment of Garrison Support Command. U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Barbara Pendl